LOL indeed.

Last week we were in a small town for Canada Day. They had a parade down main street complete with various organizations from the town. There were the Freemasons, and the Kinsmen and Kinettes. Then along came the Loyal Orange Lodge (Acronym LOL. Seriously.) They didn't throw rotten fruit or rubbish at me, but there was a time when they would have. There was also a time when they would have, on account of my faith and race, denied me gainful employment, tried to take away my right to vote, rioted against my very existence, used my name a s a curse, and occasionally killed me or people like me. But they have moved beyond all that now. They're a kinder, gentler, orange lodge now. They band together for brotherhood and to support charities and do good deeds. They are no longer the absolutely hateful racists and supremacists they once were. And good for them.

But at the same time, I also thought of what it would be like for a black man a hundred years now watching parade wherein there might be a group of a kinder gentler KKK. The guys in sheets had a horrible past, to be sure, but they had moved beyond that and were now doing simple, unobjectionable things. Should he be alright with that? Would 'well sure, they used to be utterly despicable, but they're better now' cut it?